Paul Waring fired a course record 61 at Yas Links to open up a five-shot lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The 39-year-old Englishman recorded the lowest score of his DP World Tour career to reach 19 under and record the lowest score of 36 to equal tour history, opening up a clear lead over first-round leader Tommy Fleetwood . , Johannes Veerman and the Danish couple Thorbjørn Olesen and Niklas Norgaard.
Waring had eight birdies over his first 17 holes, and held his own for an eagle at six, but saved the day’s shot at the 18th.
After the drive sank he was given a free drop but was still able to chip back the second fairway. From 250 yards he hit an excellent wood that fed four feet from the pin for a birdie putt.
Veerman added a 67 to his first-round 63 to move to 14 under for the first group of the day with Norgaard joining him after firing seven birdies in his bogey-free 65.
Fleetwood joined the leaders with 68 before Waring went ahead. Olesen then added his second eagle of the day at the end to join the chasing pack.
Meanwhile, Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy added a second-round 67 to stay 10 under par. A triple-bogey on the par-3 17th ended his good early career, but he fought back for a birdie at the end to stay nine shots off the lead.
Waring, who works at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, said: “Since I moved to Dubai I’ve become accustomed to wearing these green styles and I feel I can learn them well.
“My putter is holding up well, which is usually my weakness, and I feel like I’m swinging it well.
“Even though I’m earning well at the moment, someone might catch me when I leave tomorrow. Everyone is still going to burn a lot of birds so if I’m going to be involved on Sunday afternoon, I still have to keep pushing. keep making birds, see where we end up on Sunday evening.”
For all Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship scores click here.
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